MOST boys dream about becoming a daredevil pilot at one stage of their lives - but 11-year-old Jamie Barton is already flying the dream.

For the last two years, the Greenfield Primary pupil has been regularly leaving his school books at home and climbing into a light aircraft to take flying lessons.

Such is his dedication that every penny he receives on special occasions and in pocket money from mum Gail goes towards paying for his next flight at Manchester's Barton Aerodrome.

Jamie, from Counthill Road, Moorside, Oldham, said: "I love it. It's quite scary the first time, because you are not used to the controls and when the instructor tells you to pull up, the whole plane jerks.

"But my teacher says I'm now doing OK."

Jamie became hooked on planes at the tender age of four, when Gail volunteered to help out as an instructor with Oldham Air Training Corps.

She taught him some of the basics about flight and he has not looked back since - aiming higher than the 800ft altitude he's used to reaching.

Controls

He's currently saving up so that he can pay for his next 30-minute lesson in a single-engine Cessna two-seater - at a cost of £383.

The youngest age at which a pilot can start qualifying as a pilot to fly a plane is 17 and he is aiming to be ready as soon as he's old enough.

Nigel Maddock, marketing manager at Barton Aerodrome, said: "There is no reason why a boy of 11 should not take flying lessons. Our only rule is that they have to be tall enough to see over the controls.

"The instructor takes them up and then once the plane is stable, they allow them to take over the controls under strict supervision."

Pilots require a minimum of 45 hours' flying experience to qualify for a licence and the hours clocked up by Jamie before he is 17 will count towards that total.

Mum Gail, 38, a media student, said: "Jamie is always washing up and making sure his bedroom is kept clean to get money for his next lesson.

"I'm really proud of him, if I had the money I'd pay for him to learn full-time."

Although he is some way off getting his pilot's wings, Jamie has already set his sights on being a fighter pilot.

But Gail has other ideas.

"I want him to fly jumbo jets," she said, "so he can take me on holiday around the world."